TV Remote Control Inventor Eugene Polley Dead at 96

Eugene Polley, the man credit with inventing the first wireless TV remote, has died of natural causes on Sunday at a Chicago hospital. The former Zenith engineer was 96 years old.

Back in 1955, if you wanted to switch channels, you would need to get off the couch, walk across the room and turn the knob. Or you could buy a new Zenith television with Flash-Matic tuning. The TV came with a green ray gun-shaped device with a red trigger and promised "TV miracles." The "flash tuned" was "absolutely harmless to human" and "you can even shut off [the sound of] annoying commercials while the picture remains on the screen."

Later in his life, Polley was at an assisted-living apartment and often showed off his invention to guests. "He was a proud owner of a flat-screen TV and modern remote," said Zenith Electronics spokesman John Taylor. "He always kept his original remote control with him."

During his 47-year career as an engineer, he earned 18 US patents. And in 1997, he was honored with an Emmy for his work in pioneering TV remotes.

They say only the good die young, and this man, inventor of the reason for a billion spousal fights, lived to be nearly a hundred. If he had invented the dildo or the fleshlight, he would have died at 22.